Xerox Tower, Rochester

Rising 443 feet above downtown Rochester, the Xerox Tower 鈥� now known as Innovation Square 鈥� remains the city鈥檚 tallest building and a striking symbol of mid-20th-century corporate architecture. Completed in 1967, the 30-story tower was a technical marvel of its time, becoming the tallest structure in the world built with poured-in-place exposed aggregate concrete. Originally serving as the headquarters of the Xerox Corporation, the tower anchored the 2.7-acre Xerox Square complex, which once included an outdoor skating rink and The Shakespeare, a popular English-style pub.

Xerox鈥檚 famous 鈥淒igital X鈥� logo, which once crowned the building, was removed in 2005 as the company shifted away from its identity as "The Document Company." In 2009, Xerox announced plans to sell the property and lease back office space. By 2013, the complex had been sold to Buckingham Properties for $40 million, with Xerox remaining a tenant for several years. A colorful LED light display was added to the tower鈥檚 rooftop corners in 2015, adding a new visual signature to the Rochester skyline.

In 2018, Xerox officially vacated the tower, relocating local operations to its Webster campus. A new chapter began when Gallina Development acquired the property, rebranding it as Innovation Square. The updated vision transformed the tower into a multi-use hub with residential, commercial, and student living spaces, aiming to foster a vibrant downtown community.

Among its latest additions, a YMCA branch opened in 2023, and the restored auditorium was relaunched as a performing arts center in 2021, preserving the tower鈥檚 legacy as both a landmark of innovation and a renewed anchor for urban life in Rochester.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Xerox Tower
Sight Location: Rochester, USA (See walking tours in Rochester)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Historical Industrial Buildings

Walking Tours in Rochester, New York

Create Your Own Walk in Rochester

Creating your own self-guided walk in Rochester is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Historical Industrial Buildings

Once a major manufacturing center, Rochester, NY went down in history as one of the United States' first boom-towns. Back in between 1860 and 1900 the city's population grew threefold on the back of the inflow of numerous immigrants 鈥� Italians, Germans, Irish and others 鈥� that saw Rochester expand dramatically on both sides of the Genesee River. During that period the city rose to... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles

Rochester Introduction Walking Tour

Rochester is New York's third-biggest city. The location of the Genessee River helped to establish Rochester as a mill town early in its history. English settlers arrived in the area that would become the city when the Iroquois tribe ceded their territory after the American Revolution.

The Eerie Canal construction in the 1820s helped the city grow into an urban center that would set the... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles

Historical Churches

The city of Rochester's community is diverse, with many religious denominations coexisting peacefully within its borders. The spiritual attitude of locals is duly reflected by the historic churches, their congregations and architectural elements. A good number of places of worship found in the city are designated historic sites. Here are some of the most prominent of them.

Downtown United... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles

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